Larry Gould played just one season in the NAHL. It was his
fourth year of pro hockey and his was playing with the Buffalo Norsemen. Gould
made the most of his one season with 100 points over 71 games. He brought with
him to Buffalo a tiny bit of National Hockey League experience. He went on to
be a prolific scorer in the IHL for several years.
Larry Gould – NAHL
Gould played for the Buffalo Norsemen for the 1975-76
season. It was the only season the franchise played in the North American
Hockey League. Larry’s 32 goals were good for second on the team, four behind
player/head coach Guy
Trottier. His 68 assists and 100 points led the Norsemen. His 68 assists
also placed him eighth in the NAHL.
Larry Gould – Junior
Larry played three years of junior hockey in the Ontario
Hockey Association from 1969-70 to 1971-72. His first two years were spent with
the Hamilton Red Wings. The team was full of future NHLers like Rick
Kehoe, Pat Hickey, Jim Schoenfeld, Bob Neely and Mike Veisor. Yet, the Red
Wings were not successful in the playoffs. That Hamilton franchise is the
present day Erie Otters.
His final year in the OHA was spent with the Niagara Falls
Flyers. Once again, there were numerous future NHL players including Don Lever,
Jim Schoenfeld, Wilf Paiement and Eric Vail. Yet, the Flyers were ousted in the
first round of the Robertson Cup playoffs. That version of the Niagara
Falls Flyers is now the Sudbury
Wolves.
Larry Gould – Pro Hockey
Gould went undrafted but played pro hockey from 1972-73 to
1981-82 in the IHL, NHL, WHL, CHL and NAHL. His two games with the Vancouver
Canucks came during the 1973-74 season.
In his rookie pro year, Larry played for the Des Moines
Capitols of the IHL. Over 73 regular season games, he scored 30 goals and
assisted on 54 for 84 points. He tied for ninth in the league for assists.
After his stint in the NAHL, his scoring numbers continued
to rise. In 1976-77 with the Port Huron Flags of the IHL, Gould scored 35 and
assisted on 71 for 106 points. He was the bright spot on a team that finished
dead last in the nine team league. Larry led the IHL in assists and was fifth
for points.
The following year, he scored 36 and assisted on 69 for 105
points over 80 games with Port Huron. Gould placed second in the IHL for
assists and third for points. The Flags improved to fourth in the North
Division and sixth in the nine team league. In the playoffs, Larry scored 12
and assisted on 12 for 24 points over 17 games. Port Huron reached the finals
before falling in seven to the Toledo Goaldiggers.
In 1980-81 and still with Port Huron, Gould placed sixth in
the IHL with 63 assists and placed tied for tenth with 93 points. The following
year, his last in pro hockey, Larry totalled 33 goals and 60 assists for 93
points. However, the IHL had moved on to a more offensive game and Gould was
left out of the top ten in all three categories. He played 15 games with the
Muskegon Mohawks and 59 with the Flint Generals. The two were the sixth and
seventh place teams in the seven team league.
